What Is An Arboretum?
An arboretum is a living museum established for the growing and effective display of trees, shrubs and vines. The specimens are maintained, labeled, cataloged and mapped. The characteristics of the grounds, the collections, the type of research and educational programs sets each arboretum apart.

Our Mission
To provide a learning environment that will advance our global understanding of temperate forests, cultivate an aesthetic appreciation for regional flora of the Allegheny Plateau and demonstrate practical applications of woody plant materials to modify and mitigate local environmental conditions.

Arboretum History
In January 2000, IUP President Lawrence K. Pettit appointed an Arboretum Board, under the direction of Dr. Jerry Pickering, to develop an arboretum on the campus. In the first year, key decisions by the board included deciding that the entire IUP campus would constitute the arboretum, naming the arboretum the Allegheny Arboretum at Indiana University of Pennsylvania, and establishing the mission, goals and objectives of the arboretum. The intent of the Arboretum Board is to work with organizations in Indiana to develop a public arboretum that is integrated into the Indiana community.

In 2002, the Arboretum received a Kiski Basin Initiative Grant that helped fund tree maintenance in the university Oak Grove. This will be the first step in a systematic program for the restoration and preservation of the Oak Grove that will eventually be developed into an "Oak Community."